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The Cottage

Page 38

by Michael Phillips


  “I was just looking at it,” said Loni, leading him inside. As they entered the Great Room, she walked to the mantel and brought back the little bouquet. “See—it still has its color.”

  “Heather is amazing that way,” said David, nodding. “Remember my telling you that you would have to discover the mystery of the heather yourself?”

  “Yes, and I think I may be beginning to.”

  “Retaining its color is but one of heather’s many mysteries,” David went on. “In hopes that you will continue discovering its secrets, and in recognition of a friendship that I hope will deepen through time as does the mystery of the heather . . . your hand, please.”

  Loni smiled and held out her two hands.

  David reached into his pocket and withdrew a tiny circular object fashioned with intricate strands of heather interwoven and held tight with delicately thin white wool yarn.

  Gently he slipped it on the fourth finger of her right hand.

  “A beautiful heather ring—it fits perfectly!” exclaimed Loni. “How did you know the size of my finger?”

  “A lucky guess. But I had Odara help me with it. She said she had personal experience in exactly this kind—though she wouldn’t tell me what she meant. But somehow she knew the right size to make it. She and Sandy plucked the wool from your special sheep. They said you would know what that meant.”

  Loni smiled and nodded. “I do.”

  “Wherever you go, whenever you look at this ring, its heather will be a reminder that you belong to this island, and that you belong—”

  He hesitated briefly—then added, “to its people.”

  David smiled, and it was a smile that went straight to Loni’s heart.

  “And now,” he said, “shall we walk into town and give the ladies something to talk about?”

  “With pleasure,” replied Loni. “Let me grab my windbreaker. It’s a beautiful day, but . . . well, it is the Shetlands!”

  Books by Michael Phillips

  Fiction

  THE RUSSIANS*

  The Crown and the Crucible

  A House Divided

  Travail and Triumph

  THE STONEWYCKE TRILOGY*

  The Heather Hills of Stonewycke

  Flight from Stonewycke

  Lady of Stonewycke

  THE STONEWYCKE LEGACY*

  Stranger at Stonewycke

  Shadows over Stonewycke

  Treasure of Stonewycke

  THE SECRETS OF HEATHERSLEIGH HALL

  Wild Grows the Heather in Devon

  Wayward Winds

  Heathersleigh Homecoming

  A New Dawn Over Devon

  SHENANDOAH SISTERS

  Angels Watching Over Me

  A Day to Pick Your Own Cotton

  The Color of Your Skin Ain’t the Color of Your Heart

  Together Is All We Need

  CAROLINA COUSINS

  A Perilous Proposal

  The Soldier’s Lady

  Never Too Late

  Miss Katie’s Rosewood

  CALEDONIA

  Legend of the Celtic Stone

  An Ancient Strife

  THE HIGHLAND COLLECTION*

  Jamie MacLeod: Highland Lass

  Robbie Taggart: Highland Sailor

  THE JOURNALS OF CORRIE BELLE HOLLISTER

  My Father’s World*

  Daughter of Grace*

  On the Trail of the Truth

  A Place in the Sun

  Sea to Shining Sea

  Into the Long Dark Night

  Land of the Brave and the Free

  A Home for the Heart

  Grayfox

  A New Beginning

  The Braxtons of Miracle Springs

  THE SECRET OF THE ROSE

  The Eleventh Hour

  A Rose Remembered

  Escape to Freedom

  Dawn of Liberty

  AMERICAN DREAMS

  Dream of Freedom

  Dream of Life

  Dream of Love

  The Sword, the Garden, and the King

  Heaven and Beyond

  Angel Harp

  Heather Song

  Murder By Quill

  From Across the Ancient Waters

  Secret of the Celtic Triangle

  Angel Dreams**

  The Garden at the Edge of Beyond

  SECRETS OF THE SHETLANDS

  The Inheritance

  The Cottage

  Nonfiction

  The Eyewitness New Testament (3 volumes)

  The Commands

  The Commands of the Apostles

  Practical Essential Christianity

  George MacDonald: Scotland’s Beloved Storyteller

  *with Judith Pella **with Chris Schneider

  About the Author

  Michael Phillips is a bestselling author of a number of beloved novels, including such well-known series as SHENANDOAH SISTERS, CAROLINA COUSINS, CALEDONIA, and THE JOURNALS OF CORRIE BELLE HOLLISTER. He has also served as editor of many more titles, adapting the classic works of Victorian author George MacDonald (1824–1905) for today’s reader, and his efforts have since generated a renewed interest in MacDonald. Phillips’s love of MacDonald’s Scotland has continued throughout his writing life.

  In addition to his fifty published editions of MacDonald’s work, Phillips has authored and coauthored over ninety books of fiction and nonfiction, ranging from historical novels to contemporary whodunits, from fantasy to biblical commentary.

  Michael and his wife, Judy, spend time each year in Scotland but make their home in California. To learn more about the author and his books, visit fatheroftheinklings.com. He can be found on Facebook at MichaelPhillipsChristianAuthor@facebook.com. To contact the Phillipses or join their email family, please write to: macdonaldphillips@sbcglobal.net.

  Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook

  Website: www.bethanyhouse.com

  Facebook: Bethany House

  Twitter: @Bethany House

 

 

 


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